Lebanon Board to Discuss Seismic Issues, 2010 Budget

LEBANON – Lebanon town officials will meet Nov. 9 at 7:30 p.m. to discuss proposed seismic testing utilizing town roads by Norse Gas/Nornew Inc. and the proposed 2010 budget which includes a proposed minor tax cut during the monthly town board meeting, at the Town Office, 1210 Bradley Brook Road in the hamlet.

The public is invited to attend.

Lebanon officials were notified Oct. 26 of a request by Norse Gas to seismic test portions of Deep Spring, Vosburgh and South Lebanon Roads in the town and were advised by their Town Attorney to request gas development company officials present their request in an open forum at the Town Board meeting prior to any decision.

Supervisor Jim Goldstein said the Town Board would like to know what types of testing the company intends to do, and whether or not all the potentially impacted landowners currently have signed seismic or natural gas leases permitting seismic testing. Goldstein said that the issue of seismic trespass of testing on private property without consent utilizing town road rights of way has emerged as an issue for local governments, and town officials want to make sure impacted property owners are notified and in favor of any such testing before permission would be granted.

Goldstein notes that seismic data is used by the gas development companies as proprietary information that is then part of a negotiation with a landowner or series of landowners for potential gas wells in which the landowner may not have access to the seismic results. He said town officials want to give residents the opportunity who might be impacted to find out more and to determine if they want testing on their properties.

Gas development companies have used county and town rights of way in the past to gather such information on properties that did not currently have gas leases or seismic permits and it has led to a statewide conversation about whether such a practice should continue to be permitted by municipalities.

Goldstein also said that the Town Board will make a final decision about the proposed 2010 town budget that will include a small tax cut in local property taxes and a 26 percent reduction in the town property tax rate for next year.

Town officials will also discuss the upcoming public statment hearing to be held on Nov. 18 at the Randallsville New Life Christian Church by the state Public Service Commission on a proposed high pressure steel 16-inch 8 mile natural gas pipeline proposed for Lebanon and the neighboring town of Eaton by Norse Gas/Norse Energy. The parent company is a Norwegian energy development company publicly traded on the Norweigian stock exchange.

Lebanon Board to Discuss Seismic Issues, 2010 Budget

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